Wolverhampton Wanderers defied many people’s expectations this season, with plenty of football fans and pundits predicting them to get relegated, including BBC Sport journalist Phil McNulty. He had them in 19th in his pre-season predictions, explaining that he had a “very, very worrying feeling” about the Midlands side.....CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
However, Gary O’Neil’s side managed to finish in an impressive 14th in the Premier League table, 20 points clear of relegation. In fact, they were just three points off a top-half finish, with tenth spot claimed by Crystal Palace, who got 49 points.
Wolves actually overachieved this season, according to Understat’s expected points metric. As per the expected points table, the Midlands side achieved seven points more than they should have, with their expected points total of 39xPTS.
This is certainly impressive from boss O’Neil, whose side became a fluid and transitional team this season, with the likes of Matheus Cunha, Pedro Neto and Hwang Hee-chan particularly thriving.
With such an impressive platform laid, it gives O’Neil and his side the opportunity to use it as a springboard and climb even higher in the Premier League table next season, plus potentially gather momentum in the cup. Already, Wolves have been linked with a new signing who could replace one of their current stars if he leaves.
Wolves target South American winger
The player in question here is CA Talleres and Paraguay international Ramon Sosa. The 24-year-old could well be set for a big move to Europe this summer, after playing well in top-flight football in Argentina.
According to reports in Paraguay, Wolves are thought to be one of the sides most keen on bringing Sosa to European football. However, they would face stiff competition from Londers Chelsea, Newcastle United and the City Group, who own Manchester City, should they want to get a deal done.
According to the report, Sosa’s current club, CA Talleres, value the winger at approximately £16m. They are in line to make a healthy profit on the 24-year-old, given they spent just £1.8m on him in January.
As aforementioned, a deal for Sosa from Wolves would likely occur should Neto leave the club. Newcastle and City are also interested in bringing the Portuguese international to their respective clubs. However, Wolves would demand a large fee, thought to be in the region of £60m, according to John Percy of The Telegraph.
How Sosa and Neto compare
Sosa’s numbers in top-flight football for CA Talleres this season have certainly been impressive. The 24-year-old has scored four goals and registered four assists for his side in just 12 league appearances.
Neto has played slightly more games in the Premier League due to injury issues. However, the winger has also put up some impressive numbers. The Portuguese, who will be heading to Euro 2024, has scored two and registered nine assists in 20 games for Wolves.
Stylistically, the pair are very similar players, too. Neto is a lightning-quick winger, who uses his pace to his advantage, running at opposition defenders relentlessly. Sosa is a tall, quick two-way winger who can go on the inside or the outside of a defender, adding an unpredictable nature to his game.
It is important to see how they stack up statistically, too. As per Fbref, Sosa is one of the best dribblers in the world. He averages 7.22 take-ons per 90 minutes and 3.89 complete take-ons per 90 minutes, which places him in the top 1% for each metric, meaning he is, statistically, one of the world’s best with the ball at his feet.
In contrast, according to Fbref, Neto averages just 5.22 attempted take-ons per 90 minutes and 2.2 completed take-ons per 90 minutes. This ranks him in the top 20% and top 22% respectively. Either way, they’re still incredibly high numbers.
The Paraguayan is a deadly dribbler, described by football analyst Ben Mattinson over on X as a “problem every time he gets the ball”. Mattinson then goes on to explain that Sosa has great “unpredictability on the ball”.
Sosa’s explosive dribbling and willingness to get on the ball and make something happen is a luxury that Wolves also have with Neto. That makes him an ideal candidate to replace the Portuguese this summer if he departs Molineux…..CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
